WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Fargo-Moorhead kept its Miles Wolff Cup playoff hopes alive with a 5-3 comeback victory over Winnipeg in Game 2 of the West Division Championship series on Wednesday before 4,745 at Blue Cross Park.
The RedHawks trailed 3-2 in the eighth inning, but a Peter Brookshaw walk and two-out run-scoring singles from Kona Quiggle and Juan Fernandez gave F-M a 4-3 lead. The RedHawks made it 5-3 in the ninth on Michael Hallquist's RBI single.
The RedHawks' victory evens the best-of-three series at a game apiece. The deciding third game is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at Blue Cross Park.
Kane County defeated Chicago 3-2 on Wednesday to sweep the East Division Championship series.
The RedHawks appeared destined for Chicago's fate early in Wednesday's game but F-M relievers Parker Harm and Alex DuBord combined to shut out the Goldeyes the final six innings and give F-M's bats a chance at a comeback.
Winnipeg took a 3-0 lead off starter Colten Davis in the third inning on a bases-loaded passed ball and Max Murphy's two-run single.
Harms came on in the fourth inning and worked four shutout innings, allowing three hits, no walks and he struck out six. He worked out of a jam in the seventh when the Goldeyes loaded the bases with two outs but Harms got a strikeout to end the threat.
The RedHawks finally broke through in the fifth when Alec Olund walked with one out and scored on Ismael Alcantara's double. Peter Brookshaw made it a one-run game with a solo home run in the sixth inning.
After Harms got out of the seventh, Brookshaw walked leading off the top of the eighth inning. Winnipeg reliever Thomas Ponticelli got two strikeouts but Brookshaw stole second base on the second out and Kona Quiggle followed with an RBI single that tied it 3-3. Quiggle then stole second and scored the go-ahead run on Fernandez' single to right field.
DuBord relieved in the eighth inning and gave up a double to former RedHawk Evan Alexander with one out. Alexander moved up on a ground out but was stranded when DuBord got a strikeout to end the inning.
In the ninth, Marcus Chiu led off with a walk, moved up on a Goldeyes error and scored on Hallquist's single to make it 5-3.
In the bottom of the ninth, DuBord surrendered Rob Emery's two-out single but got Roby Enriquez to line out to Alcantara at the warning track in right to end the game.
Fernandez was 3-for-6 with an RBI and Hallquist and Quiggle were both 2-for-5 with RBIs. Chiu was 2-for-4.